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Oliver Pollard
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Oliver Pollard
Trainee Solicitor, BLM London
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“The ‘open door policy’ that exists
throughout the office means that
support is always available.”
Read Law at Birmingham University. Oliver joined as a trainee in September 2006 and now is in the second year of his training contract.
First impressions of BLM: I was impressed with the friendly environment of BLM and was made to feel welcome from the start. No assumptions were made simply because I was a trainee and therefore I was exposed to work of varying difficulty. This has assisted my personal experience of the legal world and confidence from day one.
Best thing about BLM: BLM is an extremely supportive place to work. Even though, as a trainee, I often have a number of queries on a daily basis I have never felt as though I could not approach the members of my team for advice or guidance. The ‘open door policy’ that exists throughout the office means that support is always available.
In addition, the frequent internal and external seminars held by BLM are extremely informative and a good opportunity to meet with clients and other staff members.
Worst thing about BLM: There is not a seat available in every department, so it’s important that you get to know the training officer!
Best moment at BLM: During my second seat I had the opportunity to manage my own caseload (with an appropriate level of supervision) and it was therefore my responsibility to take a proactive and pragmatic approach in resolving a variety of issues efficiently and economically.
In one particular case I handled, I felt that it was in our client’s interest to issue proceedings and, having a sound understanding of all the issues and a target settlement figure in mind, I negotiated a figure in excess of that target settlement figure. Whilst the value of the claim was small, I can honestly say that I thrived on such a responsibility and achieved a good outcome for our client.
What do you know now, that you wish you'd known then: An understanding of the wider commercial issues that have to be considered during the lifetime of a case, from the initial notification of the claim to the conclusion of the matter. |